Getting your car together is seriously the last thing on your to-do list. But on average (and this is just a google here so don’t quote me) the average person drives 12,000 miles per year which is just over 32 mi. per day. ON THE FREEWAY that is 32 minutes, and we know the commute doesn’t just include 60 mi/hr roads. I don’t need to tell you how long a 16 mile commute can be during rush hour.

That is some serious time to be spending in a messy and dirty car.

It can really depress you being surrounded by trash and not knowing where a napkin is when you need one. Not to mention some random necessities for emergencies. Think about it: if someone wipes their nose before giving you back your debit card you’ll want some sanitizer STAT. *shivers* Moving on.

So here is a quick post about how to get it quick and organized with some DAISO $1.50 deals.

Ladies and Gentleman, say hello to Daiso. This is the Japanese Dollar store. If you don’t have one in your area, no worries, a lot of this stuff can be found at a dollar store.

I bought these marvelous zippered envelopes and labeled them for all my car necessities. The neoprene envelope is for my car papers – I already had a case but vanity got the better of me and this one is purty.

3 – Work: Name badges, hair ties (for when I make the mistake of trying to wear my hair down), head band, bobby pins…toiletries 🙂

4 – Notes and Emergency $: This house some note cards, a pen and cash. $10 for gas or let’s be honest, emergency coffee.

5 – ArmorAll: I’m still not sure if it actually works to keep your car cleaner longer but it makes it look shiny after cleaning. Good for me.

And here is how things work in my car.

Envelopes in action in the glove compartment. I love having these neatly labeled and handy. *sighs*

There is my dying garage door opener. And yes, that is a scented tree tucked in next to the driver side cubby. (Side of the middle dash) It has a man-ly scent, as in: just walked past the husband freshly shaven scent. Anyway, I will never hang scented trees.

This is the middle console. I found these boxes at target in the dollar spot and they fit perfectly. I love that I can grab a couple cleaning things. The S hook hangs bags so they don’t spill all over the passenger side (see below) and stores wires so they aren’t sprawled all over the gear shift when I’m not using them.

Confession: I put my makeup on in the parking lot before walking into work. It’s glorious. However, not so much when my brushes spill all over the passenger floor as I pull in. The S Hook keeps my bag firmly attached to the side of the passenger well and hooks neatly in the cup holder without compromising space for early morning coffees liquid gold.

Lastly, the trunk. Umbrellas in Seattle…hahahaha. Moving on. A flashlight because I needed one recently, and the bins are for groceries to keep them for smashing my eggs or in case of a leak I can just wipe up the plastic and not carpet. The extra woven bins just provide more stability for smaller items.

A GO BAG with glass water bottles (plastic eventually deteriorates/contaminates) and my life straws, can opener, blanket, change of clothes and shoes for everyone, batteries for the flashlight and I’m sure a few more essentials.

That’s pretty much it. I know as a mom I should have snacks and wipes and diapers, etc. But as a tidy lady I just can’t. Many of the items in there already went through serious necessity debate. In the end, you should take everything you bring into your car out. I have a diaper bag that has all his baby things and that goes with him. I don’t leave trash in my car anymore, I clean up stains and wipe frequently. And every time I get in the car I can relax because it is no longer on my tidy list and I canjust drive.